Qatar Leadership Centre (QLC) held its annual graduation ceremony last night at the National Museum of Qatar, honoring 118 Qataris who have completed one of three courses of study - the Executive, Government, or Rising Leaders programs. The graduates constitute the sixth class of QLC since its establishment by His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as a national platform for leadership development.

In remarks at the ceremony, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, QLC Board of Directors, reflected on QLC’s impact, “The Centre supports the development of leadership skills that are essential for Qatar, abilities which are especially critical now given the rapid rate of economic diversification and transformation currently underway.” “We gather tonight at the new National Museum of Qatar, a masterpiece of art in the service of education. It connects Qatar’s past with its future, its rich heritage and traditions are the foundation of its informed vision of development. In a similar way,” she noted, “the QLC graduates are guided by the strength of our national heritage and the benefits of education for a promising future.”

Other QLC Board members attending the ceremony were: His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Managing Director and Member; His Excellency Yousuf Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo, Minister of Administrative Development, Labour, and Social Affairs, Member; His Excellency Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports, Member; and His Excellency Sultan Bin Rashid Al-Khater, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Member. A number of Qatar’s most senior officials attended the event, including ministers, government officials, ambassadors, educators, as well as guests from QLC’s partner universities, the business community, along with family members and friends of the graduates.

His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani remarked, “As we celebrate our graduates’ success, we are reminded of the responsibilities they now shoulder, to contribute to our shared societal objectives, to further strengthen our progress toward national development.” “Qatar Leadership Centre has provided the graduates with a rigorous academic foundation that encourages critical thinking,” he stressed. “I am confident the QLC alumni will use their education and experience to give back to Qatar as we continue to move forward with purpose in the years ahead.”

This year QLC marked the addition of an Executive Master’s degree program in leadership offered by Georgetown University, which is built on the foundational courses of the QLC program. There are 28 Qataris currently enrolled in the inaugural program. Institutional programs are a third feature of QLC, with programs offered this year to Qatari government institutions, including the Qatar Armed Forces’ Medical Services Department and Qatar Social Work. Past programs have included partnerships with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Qatar Petroleum.

QLC’s key partnerships include leading institutions: the University of Cambridge, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Duke University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, HEC Paris, Rice University, University of Oxford, and Al Jazeera Media Institute.